New and Old
by Angelisa McKaine
Summary: Harry has defeated Voldemort just in time to return for his 7th year at Hogwarts. That's not the only new thing, Harry's parents and Sirius are back! Can Harry handle a normal life? More importantly, can he handle his new teachers?
1. An Early Start

DISCLAIMER: These characters aren't ours they are JKR's.

I DIDN'T WRITE THIS ALONE, I wrote this with Doon Ellis. This is our first fic, so please be nice. We'll try to post quickly but no guarantees.

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New and Old**

Chapter 1: An Early Start

Someone knocked on the door to Harry's room, "Are you up yet?" the man called.

"Yes," Harry mumbled.

"Good, get dressed."

Harry rolled over to go back to sleep, "Don't even think of going back to sleep, young man," the man called before he went down stairs.

Harry groaned and rolled out of bed. Once he managed to get up off the floor, he shuffled over to his dresser and pulled on some clothes. Harry glanced at the clock on his out of the room, 5:37.

Harry stumbled down the stairs and into the kitchen where a red headed woman was bustling around the stove and a man with untidy black hair was reading the Daily Prophet at the table. Harry plopped into a seat, "I love you both, but I think I like to sleep more," he muttered.

Both of his parents laughed. Lily put a platter of bacon and a large bowl of scrambled eggs on the table then tried to smooth Harry's hair on her way back to the counter.

James folded his paper and put it aside. A moment later Lily sat down and the three of them started to eat, Harry sat chewing his toast and thinking about everything that had happened over the last few weeks and the sudden return of his parents.

He couldn't remember what spell he had used to destroy Voldemort, only that it had worked. The Dark Lord had turned to stone and suddenly exploded. Then his wand had started shooting green sparks. Harry had found himself surrounded by Cedric Digory, the caretaker from the old Riddle house, Sirius Black, and several other people he couldn't identify. He didn't notice any of them because James and Lily Potter had just appeared in front of their son.

His mom's voice pulled him back to the present, "Would you like some more juice, dear?"

"Yes, please," she filled his glass. "Thanks, Mum," he said, savoring that last word.

"Ready to go back to school?" James asked.

"I guess," Harry couldn't believe the Order had defeated Voldemort in time for him to attend his seventh year at Hogwarts. "It's just that…" he looked at his parents, unsure of how to put his feelings into words.

"You'll miss us?" Lily supplied. He nodded.

"I'm sure you won't miss us that much," James's eyes were alight with mischief.

Harry protested, "Of course I'll-."

James cut in, "We'd better hurry, or we'll be late."

"Late for what?"

"We're meeting Moony and Padfoot at the Weasley twins' shop at 6:30 to do your school shopping," James reminded him.

"Oh, yeah!" Harry ran up stairs to grab his moneybag, school letter, and his wand then rushed back to the kitchen, "Let's go!"

"Why aren't you that excited about seeing us any more?" James teased.

His mom stepped in before he could answer, "Come now, James, Harry sees us everyday," Lily chuckled, "he hasn't seen them since his Apparition Test, and that was almost a week ago."

"True." James stood up, "Let's get going."

The three of them walked into the back garden and apparated into Diagon Alley.

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A/N: This is sort if a fluff chapter to get things going, all it really does is establish who is alive and who isn't. R&R! 


	2. Truths Revealed

DISCLAIMER: Everything belongs to JKR except for the plot.

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Chapter 2: Truths Revealed

They arrived a second later in front of Weaslys' Wizarding Wheezes and stepped inside. The shop was just as colorful and packed as Harry remembered it.

One of the twins appeared out of nowhere, "Hey, Harry." He shook hands with Harry's parents, "Morning Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

The other twin slid over, "G' morning, everyone," he shook everyone's hand (including his twin's, "Morning, George." "Morning, Fred.") "If you're looking for Black and Lupin, I saw them somewhere." He looked around, "Have you seen them, George?"

"They were in the back." George turned to Harry, "We thought out defense line's sales would drop since you got rid of Voldemort, but a lot of people are still buying then."

"I'll show to the back," Fred offered.

"I have to go get more daydreams," George excused himself. "I'll meet you all back there in a minute."

They went through a curtain into a quieter part of the shop. Sirius and Remus were examining something on the selves along the back wall.

James snuck up behind his friends, grabbed them, and yelled, "The Marauders have returned!"

Both men jumped and spun around. "What was that for, Prongs?" Sirius demanded.

"Besides," Remus tried to regain some dignity, "the Marauders can't really return until we replace Wormtail and take him off the map."

"Good point, Moony," James agreed. "Any suggestions for a new Marauder, Padfoot?"

"I think it's time to expand the Marauders to more than four. After all, the young must replace the old." Sirius thought for a second, "Maybe Harry and his friends can take over; they already have the map anyways."

"James, dear," Lily laughed, "you seem to be upsetting the poor boy."

They all turned to look at Fred who was stuttering and staring at the three old friends.

Just then, George entered, "Sorry it took so long. What's wrong, Fred?" he became very worried when he saw his twin.

"They…he…map," Fred seemed incapable of completing a sentence.

"Fred," George grabbed Fred's arm and turned him toward him, "kerfuffle."

Harry wasn't sure if that was really a word, but it seemed to wake Fred up.

Fred pointed to James and his friends and croaked out his first coherent word, "Marauders."

"Who? What?" George was obviously confused by his brother's behavior.

"Them! They're the Marauders! They said so!" he was more than a little hysterical now.

"Harry's dad is not a Marauder," George explained calmly.

"Actually," Sirius began.

"Of course we aren't," James quickly interrupted.

"See, they denied it, it's true!" Fred exclaimed triumphantly.

"Oh, wow," George breathed in disbelief. "Can I have your autograph?"

James was looking for a way to escape, but Sirius and Remus were just laughing.

"Wait," George stared at them, "if he's a Marauder then they-," he turned to his twin who was nodding wisely. He thought for a second, "Who's who?"

"Well," James grinned mischievously, "This is Remus and he's Sirius and I'm James. It's nice to meet you."

"What?" George wasn't keeping up.

"That's not what he meant," Fred insisted. "He meant which of you is Prongs and the others. Who's the forth?"

"You may as well tell them, dearest," Lily giggled.

"She's right, Jamie," Sirius agreed. "I'm Padfoot."

"Don't call me Jamie," James smacked his friend in the head. He turned to the twins, "I'm Prongs."

The Weasleys turned expectantly toward Remus. "Moony," he grunted.

"Who's Wormtail?" the twins asked in unison.

The friends exchanged dark looks. "Slimy git," Sirius muttered.

"Who?" the twins were confused.

"Peter Pettigrew," Remus growled.

"Stupid rat," Harry muttered angrily.

"It wasn't his fault," James protested.

"Why are you still standing up for him?" Sirius demanded.

"He didn't do it an purpose," James insisted. "He was just scared."

"We were all scared, James," Remus said quietly.

"But we didn't betray our friends!" Sirius cut in.

"I agree," Lily said firmly.

"See!" Sirius declared triumphantly.

"With James," she finished.

Sirius threw his hands up in exasperation, "You're both mental!"

"Of course we are," James agreed, "it's a requirement for being a Marauder."

Sirius gave his friend a half-hearted grim, "It is, isn't it?"

"Definitely. Now come on, I want to buy some Instant Darkness Powder and look into getting a few other things while we're here."

"You don't need anymore toys," Lily's voice was stern.

"Of course I need them," James said in a rather offhanded way. "How can I uphold the great reputation of the Marauders without at least a few supplies?"

"He's right, Lily," Sirius agreed.

"Yes, we all need some equipment," Remus added quite seriously.

"Not you too, Remus! I was counting on you to be the sensible one," Lily cried in mock despair.

"Sorry, Lils," he apologized, "but they have finally contaminated me."

"I think I resent that statement," Sirius said.

"Is that possible?" James muttered.

"Nothing at all, Padfoot," he replied with perfect innocence.

"Would you children hurry up?" Lily interrupted. "We need to get Harry's school things."

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Angelisa: I know that James should hate Peter, but that doesn't seem to fit his personality (James & Lily are too nice). Sirius, on the other hand, holds grudges. If you don't like it…tough. 


	3. Shopping

:-) Doon Ellis and I are updating! Thanks for the reviews, keep 'em coming!

Disclaimer: We don't own these people or places, they belong to JKR.

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Chapter 3: Shopping

Once they had bought their things, and James had slipped Harry a few "toys" while Lily wasn't looking, they made their was out onto the street.

"You've grown a bit this summer," Lily tried again to fix her son's hair. "We'd better go to Madam Malkin's first."

The five of them attracted quite a few stares and several people greeted them as they made their way down the street.

"Everyone seems friendly," James commented dryly.

"They're just excited to see this celebrity," Sirius laughed ruffling Harry's hair, which earned him a dirty look from Lily.

"That and he's walking down the street with three dead people," Remus added.

"That's a possible factor," Sirius consented.

While Harry's robes were being fitted, Lily wandered aimlessly around the shop. "You could use some new robes, dear," she commented to James.

"I don't need more robes," James insisted.

"Yes, you do, you'll need them for-"

"Lily!" James cried in an almost strangled voice.

Sirius and Remus both laughed behind Harry and he tried to turn to see them. "Ouch!" Madam Malkin had stabbed him with a pin when he moved.

"Stand still."

Lily looked shocked by her husband's reaction; then realization came and she glanced guiltily toward Harry. "Sorry, I almost forgot."

Harry couldn't help but think his parents were keeping something from him, but he also knew that they weren't going to tell him what it was.

After they bought his robes, they got his potion ingredients at the Apothecary and his books from Flourish and Blotts. They had just bought Hedwig a large box of treats at Eeylops Owl Emporium and were on their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor when Harry was suddenly jumped from behind.

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CLIFFHANGER**

A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. Also, we know the whole episode in Malkin's is kind of weird but it will make sense.

**We need a favor!** Please send us some ideas for pranks that can be used throughout our story.


	4. Dragon Tales

Ellis: I hate pseudocode!

Angelisa: I will teach you to read it!

Ellis: No! NEVER!

Okay, back to the story. Here's chapter 4. cheers By the way, Ellis and I don't own anything in this story except the plot.

Chapter 4: Dragon Tales 

Harry suddenly found himself being smothered by a mass of bushy brown hair. "It's good to see you, Hermione," Harry croaked, "but I can't breath."

She let go quickly, "I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine,"

"Hey, mate."

"Hi Ron," he hugged his friend. "How was your summer?"

"It was good."

Harry noticed the bandages on Ron's arm, "What happened?"

"Nothing," Ron's face matched his hair.

Ginny laughed. "If you don't tell him, I will," she threatened.

"Fine," Ron muttered. "You'd probably exaggerate the whole thing."

He took a deep breath and started, "We went to visit Charlie in Romania last week. While we were there, he was working on hatching some of this year's eggs so he had them at his house. The week was really fun and the eggs just sat in the fireplace until the last night."

Ron paused for a long moment. Harry wondered if he should say something, but then his friend started again, "Mum fixed a huge dinner for the last night; you know how she is. Anyways, she was just about to serve dessert when we heard something breaking in the living room. Charlie went flying out of the dining room and we all followed him. When we got in the room he was pulling one of the eggs out of the fire."

At this point, Arthur and his wife caught up with their two youngest children and exchanged greetings with James and Lily.

Ron continued, "Charlie put it on the coffee table and we watched the cracks grow until the little thing finally got out. Do you know what that thing was?" he demanded.

"A baby dragon?" Harry guessed.

Ron ignored him, "It was a Hungarian Horntail! It was being all cute by rubbing on every body's hands and purring and stuff until it got over to me. Suddenly, it just shot fire at me! Then, before I could get back, it just leaped at me and started to bite and scratch at my arm!" he held his arm out for everyone to see the bandages again.

"All dragons are dangerous," James commented, "but Horntails are probably the worst."

"Especially the mothers," Harry added.

"Have you ever studied dragons?" his dad asked.

"Not really, but Hagrid had a Ridgeback in out first year, and I had to fight a Horntail during our forth," Harry shivered at the memory.

"Why on earth would you fight a dragon?" Lily demanded in horror.

Harry shrugged, "It was a task for the Triwizard Tournament."

"They let you compete in that terrible thing?"

"Not exactly. No one under sixteen was supposed to compete, but a Death Eater put my name in the Goblet of Fire so I had to." Harry paused then quietly added, "That's how I ended up in the graveyard for Voldemort's return."

"Oh you poor thing," Lily threw her arms around her son.

"Mum," he complained, both touched and embarrassed by his mother's affection.

"I'm sorry, dear," she pulled back and tried to fix his hair again.

They all headed toward the ice cream parlor. "Wait, Ron," Ginny said, "you didn't finish your story. You forgot the part where you tripped over the coat stand while running and screaming like a-"

Ron clamped his hand over his sister's mouth. "I didn't forget anything," he insisted.

Everyone laughed hysterically as Sirius reenacted the scene, as he imagined it, by throwing his hands up in the air and running down the street screaming. Several people stared at him, and when he tripped over Professor Flitwick, the whole street laughed.

James had to stop walking and lean against a shop front to keep from falling over as he gasped for breath between fits of laughter.

Remus looked at him then yelled to Sirius, "Stop trying to kill James again!"

Sirius brushed himself off. "Why can't I kill him? Peter got a turn; you can do it next time," he whined.

James was now laughing so hard that Lily had to hold him up as the walked the rest of the way to the ice cream shop.

Angelisa: I'm now going to explain the opening authors' note. Two words: computer programming. We work on this story during class, and pseudocode is the instructions on how to write the codes.

Chapter 5 coming soon!


	5. New Car & Visiting

DISCLAIMER: Ellis and I own nothing (obviously).

We want to thank everyone who has read this story and reviewed it. A special thanks to everyone who added this to their favorites or alerts! We love you all!

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Chapter 5: New Car & Visiting 

The last week of summer flew by until August 30, when Lily decided that they should visit her sister.

"Do I have to go?" Harry whined.

"Yes," his mom said sternly.

"Of course you should visit with family," James said. He turned to his wife, "Do _I _have to go?" he asked.

"YES!" Lily practically growled from frustration.

James's new car was parked in front of their house in Godric's Hollow. "Arthur helped me pick it out," he told his son. "He also made some modifications; he told me to ask you about the Invisibility Booster and a flying gear."

"He put those in there!" Harry demanded before he broke down laughing.

"What do they do?" he was confused by his son's reaction.

Harry recovered and shrugged, "Just what they say they do. The flying gear makes the car fly and the Invisibility Booster keeps people from seeing the car."

James thought Harry was pulling his leg, "Cars can't fly."

"Mr. Weasley used to have one that flew; until Ron and I crashed it into the Womping Willow at school," Harry said. "Besides, why can't a car fly? Sirius's motorcycle did," he pointed out.

"Oh yeah, it did," James's face lit up as he thought of the possibilities.

"Don't bother, dad," Harry warned. "It's okay to own a flying car, but it's illegal to actually fly it."

"Where's the fun in that?" James demanded. "Wait, if it's illegal to fly one, how did you crash one into the Womping Willow?"

"Ron and I missed the train." James cocked an eyebrow at him. "It's a long story, I'll explain it some other time."

Harry got tired of the silence as they drove to the familiar house on Privet Drive. "Mom, why do we have to go?" he complained.

"Because," she replied, "we have to make sure you got all of your things. Besides, I haven't seen my sister in almost sixteen years; seeing as you two ran off without me last time you went."

_That's probably a good thing,_ Harry thought as he remembered the looks they had received when Harry and his dad had appeared at the Dursleys' door. Lily had been helping Madam Pomfrey care for the wounded from the final battle when Dumbledore suggested that James should go get Harry's things and move them to their new house. The Dursleys had been shocked and confused, to say the least, to find a dead man standing on their doorstep, but Harry had to admit that Aunt Petunia and seemed genuinely happy to hear that her sister was alive.

When they got to the Dursleys', they all piled out of the car and trooped up to the front door; James rang the doorbell. Suddenly, the door banged open, and Petunia flew out and caught her sister in a huge hug, "LILY! You're alive!"

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Please review! Also, continue sending us prank suggestions please! 


	6. Family Reunion

**DISCLAIMER: Everything belongs to JKR.**

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and to those who have added this to thier favorites! Love to you all!

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Chapter 6: Family Reunion

Aunt Petunia bustled them all into the living room. "I'll go make some tea," she disappeared into the kitchen.

"What a lovely house," Lily wandered around the room looking at knick-knacks and photographs. She was holding a picture of Dudley when her sister returned with a tray of tea, "Is this your son?"

"Yes, that's my little Dudley," she said proudly. "He and his father are in London getting his things for school."

"How lovely," Lily said. "We got Harry's last week."

"Why didn't you go with?" James asked his sister-in-law curiously.

"I wanted to do some gardening and get some house work done," she replied. She turned back to her sister, "It's so wonderful to see you again; I missed you."

Lily leaned over and hugged her, "I've missed you, too."

James saw that they needed time alone, "Why don't you two catch up while Harry and I make sure we have all his things?" He stood up, "Come along, Harry."

Lily smiled gratefully at her husband, "That's a wonderful idea, dear."

The guys headed upstairs. "I don't remember her being that nice," James commented.

"Neither do I," Harry muttered.

James shrugged, "Oh well, I suppose everyone has the right to change." He looked around the room, "See anything you missed?"

"Not really, I don't have much other than my school things."

James seemed to notice something for the first time, "Why are there so many locks on your door?" He took a closer look, "And why are they on the outside?" he demanded in disgust.

"Oh," Harry thought quickly to head off his father's impending explosion. "Don't worry about those. They haven't been used since the summer before my fifth year when a dementor attacked Dudley but they thought that I did it. They also used them after I accidentally blew up Aunt Marge."

"Aunt Marge?" James tried to remember who that was.

"Uncle Vernon's sister," Harry explained. "She said some things and I got really mad. I wasn't trying to do anything, but she started to inflate and float. The Dursleys were really mad; they thought I did it on purpose."

James laughed, "What did you do?"

"I ran away. I got my trunk and things and stormed out. I saw Sirius for the first time that night and I rode the Knight Bus and I met the Minister of Magic."

"Busy night," his dad commented.

Harry laughed and roamed around his old room. Suddenly he remembered some things he had left behind, "My cards!" He dropped to the floor, pried up the loose board, and pulled out the stack of letters he had received from his friends over the years.

"What are those?" his dad asked curiously.

"Just letters and things."

James looked around the room, "There's an awful lot of stuff in here."

"It's Dudley's. I used to live downstairs," Harry avoided saying exactly where his room used to be. "Then, during the summer before I started going to Hogwarts, they moved me up here. Dudley's room isn't big enough for all of his things so lots of his junk got put in here."

"I recognize most of these things from Muggle Studies, but what is that?" James was pointing at a portable DVD player.

They spent the rest of the afternoon digging through Dudley's things until James realized that it was almost dinnertime. They headed downstairs to see if Lily was ready to leave.

Petunia seemed appalled by the idea of their leaving, "Nonsense, you should stay for dinner. Vernon called a bit ago to say that he and Dudley will be staying the night in London to finish their shopping tomorrow, so there's no reason you can't all stay for a bit of supper."

"Oh that would be lovely! Can we, dear?" Lily pleaded.

"Anything for you, love." her husband said.

Harry rather reluctantly dragged himself into the kitchen and was pleasantly surprised when Aunt Petunia told him to sit down with his parents instead of making him help.

Petunia bustled happily around the kitchen while the Potters sat at the table. "Are you sure you don't want me to help?" Lily asked her sister.

"Of course I am. You just sit back and relax, I have everything under control."

"At least let me set the table."

"Oh, all right," Petunia agreed grudgingly. "Harry can show you where everything is."

"I ought to be able to," Harry muttered darkly. "By now I can probably set this table blindfolded."

A delicious chicken dinner was soon on the table and they all exchange small talk around mouthfuls of mashed potatoes and gravy. Harry was surprised by how much his aunt really knew about the wizarding world and her curiosity about the recent war.

"I don't think I ever asked you, James," Petunia spoke up, "but what did you used to do? For a living, I mean."

James quickly swallowed a mouthful of chicken, "I worked for the Ministry, as an Auror."

"They're sort of like the police," Lily explained when she saw the look of confusion on Petunia's face.

"Speaking of jobs," James turned to his son, "what are you planning to do after you take your N.E.W.T.s?"

Harry shrugged, "Obviously, I'm going to be an Auror."

"Like father, like son," Lily tried to flatten Harry's hair.

"Actually," Harry countered, "I didn't know dad was an Auror. My Defense teacher suggested it during my forth year."

"Smart man," his dad approved. "Who was it?"

"It was supposed to be Mad-Eye Moody, but it was actually Barty Crouch Jr."

"What! He was a Death Eater!"

"Yeah," Harry agreed. "He's the one who put my name in the Goblet of Fire. He was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Mad-Eye."

"That's terrible!" Lily declared, but Harry just shrugged again.

After a few more hours, and two helpings of bread pudding, James decided that it was time for them to head home. As everyone said their goodbyes, Harry was shocked to discover that for the first time in his life he was actually sorry to leave number four Privet Drive.

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**A/N:** Thanks for reading! Please review! 

**P.S.** Please send us more prank ideas or the story won't be as much fun!


	7. Hogwarts Express

DISCLAIMER: Everything belongs to JKR.

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Chapter 7: Hogwarts Express

"James, I told you we should have left earlier," Lily complained. "Now Harry's going to be late."

James rolled his eyes as he pushed Harry's cart through the crowded King's Cross, "We have ten minutes, that's plenty of time."

"But he'll need time to find a compartment."

"Don't worry, mum," Harry interrupted. "Ron and Hermione have prefects' duty, so I'll sit with Neville and Luna."

"What if their compartment is full?" she demanded.

Harry laughed, "You obviously don't know them."

They slipped easily through the barrier, put Harry's trunk just inside the train's door, and hugged each other.

"Have fun, but stay out of trouble," Lily tried to fix his hair again.

"And don't miss us too much," his dad added. "You'll be seeing us again before you know it."

"Alright," Harry jumped onto the train just as the whistle sounded. "Bye!" Harry and his parents waved to each other until the train rounded a corner. Then Harry got his trunk and went to find his friends.

When he got to the last car, he saw a poof of hair sticking out above a copy of the _Quibbler_ and a teenage boy crawling under his seat in search of something. Harry stepped into the compartment, "Hi, Neville. Hey, Luna."

"Hi, Harry," the girl said dreamily from behind her magazine.

"Hi," the boy's voice was muffled by the seat, "I got him!" he crawled out holding his toad tightly.

The three of them swapped summer stories until their compartment door slowly slid open. Two small boys stood nervously in the entrance. "Can we sit in here?" one boy asked.

"Everywhere else is full," the other explained.

"Sure," Neville waved them in. "What are your names?"

"I'm Alex and this is Garrett," the light haired boy said as he took the seat by Neville.

Garrett sat down by Luna, "Thanks."

Harry shrugged as he opened his trunk, "You have to sit somewhere."

Garrett turned to stare at Harry, "Are you-?"

Harry let his trunk lid drop, "Am I what?"

"Harry Potter," the boy whispered.

"No," Harry groaned and started to beat his head against the window. "Why can't they just leave me alone?"

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny entered just then. Ron looked at the first years then at his best friend, "They asked you, didn't they?"

"Why can't they leave me alone?" he continued to hit his head.

Hermione was more that a little worried by Harry's behavior, "Stop, you'll hurt yourself."

Harry ignored her and continued. Ginny marched up to him, grabbed his arm, spun his around, and slapped him.

"That hurt!" he accused.

"And the window didn't?"

"Oh shut up," he muttered and sat down. Everyone moved to take a seat; the first years had to share one.

After everyone was settled, Ginny was still standing in the middle of the compartment. "Oh well," she shrugged and sat down in Harry's lap.

They chatted aimlessly for a moment until Harry's trunk hissed loudly. Harry replied and tried to reach his trunk but Ginny was in his way. "Could you open that, Ginny?"

"What's in there?" she pulled away nervously.

"Nagini," he explained. "Mum made me put her in there so she wouldn't attract attention in the station."

"Poor thing." Ginny opened Harry's trunk and pulled out a large snake. She stroked her a few times then wrapped it around Harry's neck like a scarf.

The first years stared at him. "That's a cool snake," Alex said. "Where did you get it?"

"She was Voldemort's. She sort of followed me home after the last battle." HE thought for a second, "She seems to like me for some reason. Doesn't that seem odd?"

Garrett stared at him, "She was You-Know-Who's!"

Harry cocked his head. "No, I don't know who. Perhaps you can tell me."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Leave him alone, Harry."

"But Voldemort's dead, saying his name won't bring him back," Harry complained.

Alex spoke up, "Who's Volda…Volly…. Who's that?"

Everyone stared at the boy in disbelief. Hermione asked him, "You're a muggle born, aren't you?"

"Yes," he admitted.

"He's the most evil wizard who ever lived," she explained. "He killed hundreds maybe thousands of people, but Harry killed him this summer."

Alex's eyes were very wide, "Oh."

They all sat in silence until Garrett changed to subject, "What house is each of you in? I'm going to be in Gryffindor," he declared proudly.

"We're all in Gryffindor," Ron said, "except Luna."

"House?" Alex was confused.

"There are four houses," Harry explained. "You sleep in the house dorms and go to class with the house members in your year.

"Also," Hermione added, "if you do well in your classes your house gets points, but if you get in trouble you lose points. Then at the end of the year, the house with the most points wins the House Cup. Gryffindor has won every year since we started school."

"What are the houses like?"

"Gryffindors are brave, Hufflepuffs are nice, Ravenclaws are smart, and Slytherins are evil," Ron explained.

Nagini hissed. "Whatever," Harry shrugged.

"What'd she say?" Ginny asked.

"She said they aren't evil, they're ambitious."

"She's right," Hermione agreed.

"Do you have a crush on a Slytherin?" Ron demanded.

"Shut up."

"How do we get into a house?" Alex interrupted.

"You have to fight a troll," Ron said with a perfectly straight face.

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A/N: I hope you like to so far. It'll get more exciting when they actually get to school. R&R! 


	8. Memories

DISCLAIMER: All the old characters (and places) belong to JKR, the new ones are ours.

If you haven't read all 6 books yet don't read this.(spoilers)

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Chapter 8: Memories

"Ron!" Hermione scolded.

"What? We did it our first year."

"We also killed our teacher, but I don't think they'll have to worry about that," Harry said.

"You killed your teacher?" Garrett asked.

"It wasn't intentional; he was working for Voldemort."

"We also faced a three headed dog, a giant chess set, devil's snare, and a room full of flying keys," Ron said.

"Evil keys," Harry muttered.

"Don't forget the potions," Hermione added.

"Remember my first year?" Ginny interrupted. "I was possessed by Voldemort."

"I got petrified," Hermione whined.

"We were attacked by giant spiders," Ron shivered at the memory. "Do you remember when Lockhart tried to use my wand?"

"Gilderoy Lockhart?" Garrett asked.

"Yeah, he was our second year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Harry explained. "He was a total coward. When he found out that Ginny was in trouble he tried to run for it but we made him go with us to save her."

Ron picked up the story, "I broke my wand at the beginning of the year, so when he took it and tried to use it on us it backfired and he erased his own memory."

"Then I went to get Ginny and found out that Tom Riddle was Voldemort and that he was killing Ginny so he could come back to life," Harry continued. "His basilisk would have killed me if Fawkes hadn't shown up."

"A basilisk?" Garrett stared.

"What's that?" Alex asked.

"It's a giant snake," Garrett said excitedly. "They're _huge_, and they kill you if you look at it."

"Unless you only see its reflection; then it just petrifies you. Stupid snake," Hermione pouted.

Ginny picked up the story. "The next year Sirius escaped from Azkaban and snuck into Hogwarts."

"Remember the dementors searching the train," Harry shuddered. "Then they showed up at our match."

"Hagrid started teaching that year," Hermione added.

Ron laughed, "Yeah, and Malfoy called Buckbeak ugly and he got attacked."

Alex spoke up, "Buckbeak?"

"He's a hippogriff," Hermione explained.

"Then at Halloween, Sirius tried to get into our dorm, but the Fat Lady wouldn't let him in. She looked terrible after that," Ron said.

Hermione suddenly laughed, "Remember when he got into your dorm and you thought he was trying to kill you."

"What would you have thought if a murderer was standing over you, in the middle of the night, with a knife?" Ron asked defensively. "At least I didn't think Sirius had cursed Harry's Firebolt."

"But I was right about who sent it to him," Hermione retaliated. "And I'm not the one who had a murderer for a pet."

"Remember Sirius dragging Ron into the Shrieking Shack?" Harry interrupted.

"He broke my leg," Ron whined.

"It wasn't intentional," Hermione countered.

Harry quickly stepped in to head off an argument, "Then Remus showed up."

Ron nodded, "That's when Hermione told us he was a werewolf."

"Then Snape showed up," Hermione added.

"I loved his expression when he found out Sirius was gone," Harry chuckled.

"Do you know how he got away?" Garrett asked.

The three friends laughed. "Harry and I freed him," Hermione announced.

The little boys and Luna and Neville, who hadn't heard the story, stared at the group.

Harry explained, "We stole Buckbeak and flew him up to the window of Flitwick's office, where they were keeping Sirius. Then they flew off together."

"How did you manage all that without getting caught?" Garrett demanded.

Harry looked to Hermione. "We can't tell," she said firmly.

Harry shrugged. "Forth year was fun," he said sarcastically.

"That was the Triwizard Tournament, right?" Garrett asked excitedly. "My dad's in the Ministry so he got to see the tournament. He told me you were brilliant against the dragon and that you saved two people from the mermaids!"

"There aren't any dragons," Alex scoffed.

"Oh yes, there are," Harry disagreed. "They really fly, and they can really breathe fire."

"Oh, Harry," Ginny laughed, "do you remember Ron's dress robes? They were awful!"

Everyone except Ron laughed, "It wasn't my fault; Mum picked them out."

"Dad wouldn't tell me about the third task," Garrett interrupted. "What was it?"

Ron glanced at Harry then told him, "It was a maze, but it didn't go very well."

"What do you mean?"

"A Death Eater charmed the trophy to make it a portkey," Hermione explained. "Harry and another champion ended up in a graveyard."

"Why?"

"Voldemort was there," Harry muttered. "Pettigrew killed Cedric and then he used a ceremony to bring Voldemort back."

"What happened then?" Alex was enthralled.

"He called the other Death Eaters, and then I had to duel him. O managed to escape and bring Cedric back to school."

"How did you get away?" Garrett demanded.

"He was distracted," Harry said shortly. "When I got back, our DADA professor took me to his office and tried to kill me."

"What!" Alex and Garrett cried.

Harry ignored them and continued. "Luckily Dumbledore showed up and stopped him. After a while the Polyjuice potion he was using wore off and we found out that he was really a Death Eater and he had our real teacher locked in a trunk."

"I'm not so sure I want to go to school," Alex sounded more than a little nervous.

"Don't worry, you won't have that kind of trouble," Hermione reassured him. "You're not Harry, so none of that will happen to you; Only Harry can have those kinds of problems."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said dryly.

"That was just your forth year," Garrett spoke up. "What happened after that?"

"Umbridge showed up for our fifth year," Ron told him. "It was terrible!"

"On top of that I had private lessons with Snape," Harry added. "And I had to put up with the Daily Prophet."

"The DA wasn't so bad," Hermione said.

"Sure it was," Harry agreed, "until we decided to invade the Ministry."

"And I got attacked by those brain things." Ron rolled up his sleeve, "I still have scars."

"Then Sirius died." The others looked at Harry. He sighed, "Chill, I'm over it. He's not dead anymore."

"Then Voldemort showed up and so did Dumbledore," Hermione continued.

"And they ended up fighting," Ron added.

"I got sent back to Dumbledore's office," Harry said. "Then I broke all his stuff and he told me about the whole 'Chosen One' thing."

"Snape was our Defense teacher last year," Ron remembered. "I wonder who it will be this year."

"I don't know," Hermione answered. "Harry was a potions genius last year," she muttered bitterly.

"Can we drop the whole thing about the book," Harry cried in exasperation.

"You went with Dumbledore to get the Horcrux last year, too," Ron reminded Harry.

"Right," Harry thought back. "We apparated to the coast, swam into a cave, drank poison, fought Inferi, apparated back to Hogsmeade, and flew to school," Harry paused for breath. "As soon as we got back Malfoy showed up. Dumbledore almost convinced him to change sides when the other Death Eaters got there. Then Snape came and killed Dumbledore."

"Then Snape and the others managed to get off the grounds and disapparate," Ron muttered.

"And they lit Hagrid's hit on fire," Hermione added.

"Then we found out that someone had already taken the real Horcrux, and all Dumbledore 'died' for was a stupid locket," Harry said.

"What's a Horcrux?" Alex finally asked.

"You don't want to know," Hermione shivered.

"Then at the funeral, I broke up with Ginny, told the Minister to stuff it, and decided to hunt Voldemort down," Harry concluded.

The eleven year olds just stared at him until Hermione checked her watch, "We should be there soon; let's get our uniforms on."

They had just pulled their robes on when the train started to slow.

"Firs' years this way!" Hagrid yelled from the end of the platform.

"Hey, Hagrid," they all waved.

"You better get going," Ron told the younger boys.

"You never told us how to get into a house," Alex whined.

"We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise," Harry laughed.

"Don't worry, it's not really that bad," Hermione assured them.

"See you at the feast." Harry led his friends to the carriages while the younger boys followed Hagrid to the lake.

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A/N: Yeah, they're at school! Let the fun begin! (Updated profile.) 


	9. Openning Feast

DISCLAIMER: Everything from the books belongs to JKR.

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Chapter 9: Opening Feast

While they took their usual seats at the Gryffindor table, Hermione helped Ginny dry her hair and robes, which had been soaked by one of Peeves' water balloons, and Harry looked to the staff table. As he had expected McGonagall was in Dumbledore's old place; he had not, however, expected to see Lupin seated at the table again. He scanned the table for more new faces, but all he saw was three empty chairs by Lupin and another at the other end of the table.

Just then, Flitwick entered with the sorting hat, and the crowd of nervous first years lined the front of the Great Hall.

After the sorting, during which both Garrett and Alex were placed in Gryffindor, McGonagall rose, "To our first years: Welcome; to the rest of you: Welcome back." The students watched her silently. "As I'm sure you have surmised, I am now headmistress do to Professor Dumbledore's new position in the Ministry."

She paused to look pointedly at the empty seats by Lupin, "We seem to be missing our three new teachers," she looked to Remus for an explanation.

"Lake."

"Why?"

"Two of them are trying to feed the giant squid and I believe the other is trying to stop them."

"What are they feeding it?" McGonagall asked curiously.

"Not what. Who."

McGonagall looked around the Great Hall, "Where's Snape?"

"They said something about washing his hair." Remus added seriously: "If he did it in the castle it would clog the drains."

"'They' as in our new professors!" McGonagall demanded.

"Yes, I suppose that is their occupation."

Just then, the doors flew open and an extremely drenched Snape stormed in muttering curses. After him came a very amused Minister of Magic (Dumbledore), two new professors wearing identical expressions of innocence, and a very angry teacher.

"Look what I found down by the lake," Dumbledore laughed. "They seemed to be teaching Professor Snape to swim." Everyone in the hall, except the Slytherins, laughed.

Harry stared at his new 'professors' in disbelief. "Mum, dad, Sirius!"

"Hi, Harry," James ruffled his son's hair on his way to the staff table. Lily scowled at her husband then tried to fix Harry's hair.

"Finally you're here," McGonagall sounded exasperated. She addressed the students, "Professor James Potter will be taking the Defense Against the Dark Arts post." James waved to the students.

"Professor Lupin has kindly returned to fill my old position." Remus nodded in acknowledgment of his applause.

"Sirius Black will take over Care of Magical Creatures, as Hagrid will be somewhat distracted by his duties as an ambassador to the giants." Sirius stood and bowed to the hall; which was filled with students who were shocked that they would be having a one-time convicted murderer as a teacher. James rolled his eyes and pulled his friend back down into his seat.

"Finally, Lily Potter will take the new position of Assistant Professor, which means that she will be filling in for absent teachers, tutoring struggling students, and generally helping around the school." Lily beamed at the applauding students.

"Now," the Headmistress continued, "while we are on the subject of professors, Professor Snape will be returning to his regular place as potions master." The Slytherins cheered uproariously while the rest of the school clapped halfheartedly at this announcement.

Once the hall was quiet McGonagall proceeded, "Mr. Filch has added several more things to his list of forbidden items; please check his office door for the complete list. As always the forest and Womping Willow are off limits."

"Would the Minister like to say a few words?" she asked.

"Perhaps after dinner," Dumbledore replied.

"Very well." She turned back to the students, "Tuck in." The feast appeared and the hall was filled with the sounds of silverware, chatter, and laughter.

As the last of the dessert vanished, Dumbledore rose from his seat next to McGonagall. As always, silence swept the hall.

"As you all know, the war has finally ended," he began. "Through our unity we have defeated our greatest evil. However, our triumph does not require a return to our previous ways; we must remain united to prevent history from repeating itself, May we all put aside our years of rivalry," he looked meaningfully between the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables, "and join together to form a strong community and a bright future." The Great Hall was filled with applause as the Minister of Magic returned to his seat.

Headmistress McGonagall stood, "Classes begin tomorrow, and you all need your sleep. Off to bed."

While Ron and Hermione led the first years up to their new home, Harry hurried up to his parents. "Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded.

James laughed, "We didn't want to ruin the surprise."

Lily smiled at her son, "Off to bed, dear. I'm sure you've had a long day."

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A/N: Doon Ellis and I are going to Disney World next week so I won't be posting. **SORRY!** If you happen to be at Disney feel free to try to find us, we'll be two of the hundreds of crazy girls running around. Good luck!  



	10. Trouble Before Breakfast

A/N: We're back from FL! Disney was a blast! Now back to the story!

DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognize from the books belongs to JKR.

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Chapter 10: Trouble Before Breakfast

Harry woke at six the next morning and rushed down to breakfast before Ron had even rolled out of bed.

He grabbed a quick bite and waited to see who was in charge of passing out schedules this year. Lupin walked up behind him and dropped the page onto Harry's plate.

Harry snatched it eagerly then looked at Remus, "Why are you passing these out?"

Remus shrugged, "I'm the new head of Gryffindor."

"No offense, but why you?"

"It was me, Sirius, or your dad."

Harry laughed, "I see your point."

"You may as well take Ron and Hermione's to them," he handed Harry two more pieces of parchment. "If you're done eating, you should probably head back upstairs and get your books. I'll see you in class this afternoon." Remus walked over to a group of third years sitting at the end of the table.

Hermione was already in the common room when he got there so he gave her her schedule before racing up to the boys' dorm. Ron was the only one still asleep in the dorm so Harry sat down hard on the end of his friend's bed. "Wake up," he shook Ron vigorously.

"I want to sleep," Ron muttered.

"Get up," Harry insisted. "We have DADA first thing with my dad."

"Give me a few more minutes." Ron pulled the blankets up over his head.

"If you don't get up I'll go get Hermione," Harry threatened.

Before Ron could answer, there was a knock on the door. "Are you guys ready yet?" Hermione called.

Ron scrambled out of bed. "We'll be down in a minute."

"You better hurry," she said as she headed back downstairs, "or we won't have time for breakfast."

Five minutes later Ginny, Neville, Alex, and Garrett joined them on their way to breakfast. As they rounded a corner on the third floor, the seven of them were attacked by a flock of Cornish pixies. As Harry fought them off, he saw a group of Slytherins doubled over in helpless mirth at the end of the corridor.

Suddenly the pixies froze as Professor McGonagall entered the passage. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded of the Slytherins, all of whom seemed to have been struck dumb. "Never have I seen students start a year with such blatant disrespect for the rules. Fifty points each from Slytherin, and all of you will serve detentions every night for the rest of the week."

The Slytherins scurried out of the hall as McGonagall turned to Harry and his friends. "Are you all alright?"

"We're fine, Professor," Hermione assured her as Harry and Ron helped the first years to their feet.

"You'd better hurry or you'll miss breakfast," with that McGonagall headed toward her office and the Gryffindors went down to the Great Hall.

"What was that for?" Alex asked as they took their seats.

Ron shrugged, "They're Slytherins." That was all the explanation any of them needed.

After they had finished eating, everyone stated off to their first class.

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A/N: Like my profile says, I'll be gone again next week. Hope you enjoy this chtp(please rewiew) and I'll give you another in a couple of weeks.  



	11. DADA

DISCLAMER: Everything/everyone from the Harry Potter books belong to JKR.

A/N: I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday; I couldn't get to the computer because of all the 4th of July family stuff. Thanks for all the reviews!

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Chapter 11: DADA 

Harry and his friends got to class about ten minutes early. When they entered the Defense classroom, James was struggling with, and swearing at, his desk drawer.

"What are you doing?" Harry finally asked.

Professor Potter jumped guiltily and spun around; he sighed in relief when he saw who it was. "Come in and close the door. Quickly!" he motioned them in urgently.

"What are you doing?" Harry repeated.

"Preparing for class," he answered evasively. "Sit up here," he led the four Gryffindor seventh years to the middle of the front row. "By the way, when you hear the explosion, duck."

"What's going to happen?" Neville asked nervously.

"Just a little demonstration," James's eyes gleamed manically.

Harry was prevented from questioning his father further by the arrival of the other students taking the N.E.W.T. level DADA class.

"Welcome, everyone," James smiled benignly at his class. "As you know, I am Professor James Potter. I plan to challenge each of you, pushing you to the outer limits of your skills and beyond. I intend to prepare you for life beyond this school. The world is filled with dangers even now that Voldemort is gone." James ignored the class's shudder at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "Any questions?"

No one raised their hand, so James continued. "For the sake of fairness, I must warn you all of one thing." Suddenly, James's desk drawer exploded! Harry and his friends remembered to duck at the last moment as a dragon swooped over the students.

The illusion dissolved after a moment of chaos, and all of the students slowly turned to their teacher. "I'm a very good prankster," James smiled at them all innocently. "Throughout the year, myself and Professors Black and Lupin will probably create all sorts of random chaos. You are all more then welcome to try to prank us back so long as no one is physically harmed and you don't directly violate any school rules. However, be warned, we will retaliate to any pranks aimed at us, so if you don't want to be a target don't play the game.

"Now, to business," James clapped his hands together. "I understand that you have all had experiences with dementors." The class nodded. "Your homework will be very simple tonight, in fact I don't even want you to use your books. Without any research, I want you to write down everything you know about dementors: what they look like, what they do, how to drive them away, and anything else you can think of. This assignment is meant to tell me what you already know so I know what you still need to learn. Class dismissed."

The room was filled with babble as the students collected their things. Everyone seemed to have something to say about James's 'demonstration' and several seemed to be planning their own.

"What did you think?" James asked his son as the class filed out.

"It was brilliant!" Harry declared.

James smiled broadly. "Oh, your mother wants you, and any friends you wish to invite, to join us for lunch down by the lake."

"We'll be there," Harry promised as the Gryffindor first years filed in and the seventh years headed toward the Gryffindor common room to enjoy a free period.


	12. Lunch by the Lake and Friends?

DISCLAIMER: JKR owns everything but the plot.

A/N: You better like this chapter because I stayed up until 2 this morning to write it and got up at 7 to finish typing. Please review, and let me know what you think of their new "friend".

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Chapter 12: Lunch by the Lake and…Friends?

After Harry and Ron had played a few games of wizards' chess (one of which Harry almost won), the three of them headed down to the lake with Neville, Luna, Alex, and Garrett.

When they got to where Harry's parents had spread out the blankets for the picnic, Lily was lecturing the Marauders. "You will not curse him, understood?"

"Yes, Lily," the Marauders all replied.

"You will not hex him."

"Yes, Lily."

"You will not prank him."

"Yes, Lily."

"You will not throw food at him."

"Yes, Lily."

"You won't throw him into the lake again."

"Yes, Lily." James seemed to pout a little more at this stipulation.

"Who aren't we throwing in the lake," Harry finally interrupted.

"Lily's invited Snape to lunch," Remus explained.

Hermione started with shock. "Professor Snape" At lunch? _With the marauders?_"

"Yes, and they will be _perfect_ gentlemen," Lily replied threateningly.

"Yes, Lily," they chimed.

"I'm not all that hungry after all," Neville bolted toward the castle.

"What's wrong with him?" Lily asked with concern.

"He's absolutely terrified of Snape," Ron explained. Lily looked a bit guilty as she watched Neville disappeared into the school.

"Who's this young lady?" James asked when he noticed Luna.

"Oh, this is Luna Lovegood," Harry introduced. "Her dad runs the Quibbler."

"How delightful," James said, shaking the teenager's hand.

"Charmed," Luna responded dreamily.

James looked at the first years. "You two were just in my class. Alex and…Garret, right?" He shook their hands.

"Yes, sir," they confirmed in unison.

Lily smacked James's hand when he tried to steal a grape from the bowl in front of her. "Not until Severus arrives," she scolded.

"Sorry I'm late, Lily." Professor Snape seemed to appear out of nowhere. "One of the third years managed to catch the ceiling on fire."

"How'd they do that?" Sirius seemed strangely interested.

"I have no idea how she managed that stupidity; there wasn't anything left of her potion to examine."

"Shame," Sirius said wistfully. "Imagine the chaos if we set the hallway ceilings on fire."

"I'm sure it would be very amusing" Snape muttered coldly, "until the molten rock started dripping on people."

"I hadn't thought of that," Sirius was appalled.

"Sit down, Severus," Lily said brightly. "Everyone dig in." She handed each of them a plate to fill.

After a certain amount of suspicion, Snape relaxed and turned out to be fairly human. For a while, they discussed Order business, but soon their subjects became more commonplace. By the end of lunch, Severus had warned the new professors about problem students.

They all talked and joked until the bell rang; signally that it was time for afternoon classes. They all stood and prepared to return to the castle.

"I had a surprisingly good time," Snape shook Lily and the Marauders' hands. "I will see you all at dinner."

After he had left, Sirius turned to James. "I've just realized something: Snape really is human."

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A/N: hope you love it! Reviewers will be given magical, imaginary cookies!  



	13. Personality Test

DISCLAIMER: As usual the books, and everything in them, belong to JKR.

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Chapter 13: Personality Test 

After lunch, they headed back to their common room for another break before Transfiguration. Ron wanted to play chess again, but Hermione finally nagged the boys into doing their DADA homework instead.

Ron stared at his blank parchment for a moment, "How long does it have to be?"

"He didn't say," Hermione answered. "He just said to write everything we know about the dementors."

Harry was surprised by how easy the assignment was; he was even more surprised when he saw that his report was at lease a couple inches longer than Hermione's. He read through her's, "You didn't mention the Dementors Kiss."

"What?" she glanced over her paper. "You're right." She added it in; Harry felt very pleased with himself for catching one of Hermione's mistakes.

They spent the next few minutes proof reading each other's essays and making suggestions until Ron checked his watch, "Class starts in fifteen minutes, we'd better get going."

Remus smiled at the trio as they slid into the front row. Once the class had settled he stepped forward to begin. "It is good to see you all again," he greeted his students. "I'm sure you have already heard this, but to be fair I will repeat it: Professors Potter, Black, and myself plan to execute several pranks this year. You are all welcome to participate in our little game as long as you accept the fact that if you prank us we will return the favor.

"Now, to the lesson. I know that you have covered the basics about Animagi, but we're going to go into more details this year." Lupin pulled a stack of pages out of his desk, "Hermione, would you pass these out." He turned back to the class, "This is a questionnaire which, if filled out with complete honesty, will tell you what type of animal you would transform into. So the only homework you have is to fill this out before our next class."

For the rest of the period they answered questions like: "What career do you what?" "What's your favorite color?" and even "What would you plan for a perfect date?"

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A/N: I'm sorry this chapter's so short, but I couldn't think of any way to extend it. The story'll get funnier soon. Reviews are always loved, as are the reviewers.  



	14. Dinner Disaster

DISCLAIMER: Everything from the books belongs to JKR.  


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Chapter 14: Dinner Disaster

Harry and Ron dropped their bags on their beds. "Let's head for dinner; I'm starving," Ron headed out the door.

Harry called after him, "I need to get something; I'll see you in the Great Hall." Harry dumped all of the stuff out of his bag and carefully slid something else in.

Harry did his best to hide the bag as he slid into his seat. "What's that?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Harry, what are you doing?" Neville asked a few minutes later as he watched Harry slip a piece of roast beef into his bag.

Harry started guiltily, "Nothing."

"Awful strange nothing," Ron leaned over and pulled the bag open.

"Harry," Hermione gasped. "You shouldn't have brought her to dinner!"

Nagini lifted her head lazily out of the bag. _Stay down_, Harry hissed at her as he checked to make sure no one else saw her. Nagini grumbled but did as she was told. "She was hungry," he explained to his friends.

No one noticed the snake and dinner went smoothly until dessert. Harry opened his bag, _Do you want some choc_-.

Hermione asked, "What's wrong?"

"She's gone!" Harry glanced frantically around the room while the others checked under the table.

Harry gasped, "Oh no," the others followed his gaze. Nagini was slowly rising up behind McGonagall and eyeing the plumage on the headmistress's hat.

Before the Gryffindors could do anything, Nagini swallowed the hat. McGonagall turned around to see what had happened to her hat and screamed when she saw the gigantic snake.

All hell broke loose at that point. Most of the girls and first years ran screaming from the hall while the older boys stared and laughed at their hysterical professors. Even Harry laughed when Professor sprout lunged for the snake, tripped over a chair, and sprawled into Flitwick's lap.

_Hide; I'll find you when things quiet down_, Harry hissed over the ruckus. Then to give her time to get away, Harry pulled out his wand and used the first spell he could think of. Suddenly, it was raining in the Great Hall. The noise redoubled, and Harry slipped out as everyone ran from the hall.


	15. Scolded?

DISCLAIMER: Harry Potter and his wold belong to JKR, so don't sue me. (Really you can sue me if you want,but you won't get much. I don't even own this computer; all I have is some books and a swordwhich you _so_ can't have)  


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Chapter 15: Scolded?

Harry sat in the Gryffindor common room listening to his housemates' theories about where the snake has come from. He was relieved when almost everyone agreed that the incident had probably been a Slytherin prank. After most of the house had gone to bed, Harry checked his watch. "It's an hour until curfew," he told his friends. "I'm going to get my cloak and start looking for Nagini."

"Be careful not to get caught," Hermione warned. "One of the teachers in the Order might have recognized her."

"I know." Harry went up to the dorm, pulled out his cloak, and tucked it inside his robe before quietly slipping down the stairs and out the portrait hole.

Harry had wondered up and down seemingly endless corridors for a half an hour when someone suddenly grabbed his arm and dragged him into the DADA classroom, slamming the door behind them.

"What were you thinking!" his mother demanded.

"What?" he looked at his parents and the other Marauders in confusion.

"What possessed you to let Nagini loose in the castle?"

"I didn't let her loose," he explained, "she just got out of my bag during dinner."

"You took her to dinner?"

"She was hungry."

Harry waited patiently for the next ten minutes while Lily explained just how disappointed she was that he would do something that foolish; she even hinted that it had been almost stupid enough to have been one of his dad's pranks. "I had better not catch you doing something like that again," she concluded.

"Don't worry, you won't," he assured her. _You won't catch me at least_, he thought.

"Good. I'm going to bed. Coming, James?"

"In a moment, dear. I'd like a few words with our son first."

"Don't be long," she said as she left.

James watched his wife until she disappeared around a corner then turned to his son and friends. They all stared at each other until the Marauders suddenly roared with laughter.

"Good job, Harry!" Sirius clapped him on the shoulder.

"An act of Marauder proportions," Remus congratulated.

"That's my boy," James messed his hair. "Your excuse was a little weak, but I think your mother bought it."

Harry was enjoying their praises too much to tell them he hadn't lied to his mother. "Thanks." He checked his watch, ten minutes until curfew, "I have to find Nagini."

"Don't worry, she's hiding here in my desk," James opened the bottom drawer and Nagini slowly slid out. "The two of you had better get to bed."

"Right." Harry laid the snake over his shoulders then covered them both with his Invisibility Cloak before slipping out into the dimly lit corridor and silently making his way back to the Gryffindor tower.

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A/N: Please review! Thanks to all the readers, and hugs for everyone who put this on thier favorites or alert lists! 


	16. Practice and Potential

DISCLAIMER: JKR has it all.

A/N: Sorry about last week; excuse on profile

Chapter 16: Practice and Potential

After breakfast Harry and Ron went back up to the common room while Hermione headed to Ancient Runes.

"We could finish our Transfiguration," Ron suggested halfheartedly.

"No." Harry stared into the fire until he got a better idea, "I haven't had a chance to fly lately."

Ron grinned, "Me neither."

They raced to their dorm, grabbed their brooms, and hurried out onto the grounds. They flew randomly once they got to the pitch, each just enjoying the thrill of flight.

After awhile Harry pulled up next to Ron, "I need some practice. What do you say we grab a Snitch and try some one-on-one?"

"Great."

They grabbed the ball then stood in the center of the field. "I'll let it go, then we'll give it about a minute's head start. Sound fair?" Harry asked

"Perfect," Ron agreed. They mounted as soon as Harry released the Snitch, and then watched their watches closely.

"Ready? Now!" They kicked off and circled the pitch. They crisscrossed and dodged each other for nearly an hour until Harry spotted the Snitch; it was at the base of the center goal post on the opposite end if the pitch. Harry rocketed past Ron, who had been shadowing him. When he got to the goals, he dove almost perpendicular to the ground. A moment later he pulled up with the Snitch firmly in his grasp.

"Good catch!" Ron congratulated.

"Thanks." Harry checked his watch, "We have about an hour before we need to head back inside. Why don't we grab a Quaffle so you can get some practice?"

"In a minute." He pointed over Harry's shoulder, "Flying lessons." Harry turned his broom. Sure enough, the first years were lined up in the yard, each standing next to a school broom. "Garrett and Alex are in the front row."

Just then the whole class roared, "Up!" Harry was pleased to see that brooms immediately shot into the two Gryffindors' hands though no one else's broom responded.

Once every one had a broom (one Slytherin waited until Madam Hooch wasn't looking then simply bent down and picked his up), they were instructed to mount. At Madam Hooch's whistle they all kicked off.

Harry and Ron watched for the next hour while two students lost control of their brooms and several others sustained minor injures do to falls. Harry focused on the two boys he had met on the train; Garrett had obviously been taught to fly by a parent or sibling, but Alex was muggle-born so the considerable skill he was showing had to be natural talent. Harry had been a first year when he had started Quidditch, and he now found himself wondering if he could put two more first years on the house team.

Ron and Harry both started when they heard the bell from the castle. They rushed inside and up to the dorms to put away their brooms then ran back downstairs to meet Hermione in the Great Hall for lunch.


	17. CoMC: L1

JKR owns it all (lucky girl).

100 REVIEWS! PARTY! DOON ELLIS AND I LOVE YOU ALL!

I know the beginning of this chapter kind of sucked, but I tried. Reviews are always welcome.

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Chapter 17: Care of Magical Creatures-Lesson 1

Harry and Ron sat down across from Hermione at the Gryffindor table. "Where have you been?" she asked.

"Outside."

"Did you finish your Transfiguration?" she demanded.

"No," Ron admitted.

"Don't worry, Hermione," Harry interrupted before she could explode. "We're almost done, and we have another free period after lunch."

Hermione was about to say something then stopped to stare at the doors. "What's Charlie doing here?"

Sure enough when the boys looked Charlie was walking up the aisle behind them. "Charlie," Ron waved him over. "Why are you here?"

"I need to talk to Sirius."

"What about?"

"You'll find out eventually," with that Charlie made his way to the staff table to speak with the Marauders. The three old friends all grinned widely and practically sprinted out of the Great Hall with Charlie struggling to keep up.

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After lunch, Hermione forced Ron and Harry to do their homework; which wasn't nearly as painful as they pretended. Then they headed downstairs for their first CoMC lesson with Sirius.

Professor Black was waiting for his N.E.W.T. class in the Entrance Hall. "Is everyone here?" When no one answered he continued, "This lesson is going to be a bit more dangerous than you're usually class so you must be very careful. If I tell you to do something, listen; I will not tolerate any behavior that could place you or your classmates in danger. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Follow me." They headed down to the forest and around a crop of trees. Suddenly they were face to face with creatures from some of their worse nightmares. Students screamed and several were near fainting.

"Alright, class," Sirius yelled. "Hey, everyone!" He pulled out his wand. "SHUT UP!" he roared while setting off a series of small explosions. The class spun to stare at him in shocked silence.

"Now, as you can see, we are studying dragons this year. The first thing to remember is to keep your voice down. Second, that," he pointed to a glowing blue line on the ground, "is all the closer you can get to them without permission from me or Mr. Weasley. The line marks the outer range of the dragons' flame." The students all quickly backed away.

"For those who don't know him, this is Charlie Weasley," he motioned to Ron's brother. "He works with dragons in Romania and was kind enough to provide us with these marvelous specimen.

"So, first, who can identify this one?" Sirius pointed to a green dragon. Hermione's hand shot into the air, and to everyone's surprise, Ron slowly raised his as well. "Ron," Sirius called.

Ron seemed a bit nervous, "It's a Common Welsh Green." Charlie winked at his little brother.

"Good," Sirius congratulated. "Ten points for Gryffindor. As its name implies, it is a Welsh dragon that nests in high mountains. A Welsh Green's roar is very melodious and easily recognizable.

"They normally prefer to eat sheep and avoid human contact. However, the Ilfracombe Incident shows that even the most reclusive magical creatures can not always be separated from Muggles."

Sirius glanced around the class to make sure everyone was listening. "Now who can identify this species?" he asked pointing to the dragon with iridescent scales.

As usual, Hermione's hand was the first up and she was called upon. "It's an Antipodean Opaleye."

"Correct! Ten more points. Now the Opaleye…" The lesson continued with Sirius describing the dragon until the end of class. When the bell rang from the school, Sirius yelled, "You need to write a foot long essay about each dragon. If you want to get a head start, we'll be writing one about each of the ten dragon types."


End file.
